. >> reporter: jennifer duffy, senior editor says the poll has something good for both candidates. >> 50/47, it's a three-point split. essentially the race is tied. if i'm the o'malley campaign, one of the things i take as positive out of that poll, he is at 50%. that means that ehrlich needs to chip away at his support. but this is notan uphill race. this race is tied. >> reporter: martin o'malley has raised a lot more money than his republican opponent and now is launching his first tv ad in our area, focusing on his commitment to education >> we've doubled the number of arter schools and froz college tuition for four years in a row. >> ehrlich's campaign is saving its mon for tv ads later in the campaign. the republican governor's sociation has bought tv time on his behalf, to compete for the voters in the maryland suburbs arnd the belt way. >> martinwe maltly, higher taxes, fewer jobs. moving maryland backwards. >> that ad for ehrlich is called backwards, it's an attack on o'malley's theme, moving maryland forward. the ads show how contentious and costly this election could be. pa